Dining out

By Karen Hayes, Globe Staff, 12/2/2001

Wildflower Cafe

8 Chestnut St., Duxbury

Telephone: 781-934-7814

Hours: Breakfast, 7:30-11:30 a.m. Tuesday-Friday; lunch, 11:30 a.m.-3 p.m. Tuesday-Friday; dinner, 4-9 p.m. Friday-Saturday; brunch, 7:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday

Major credit cards accepted

Dinner reservations available

Wheelchair accessible

No smoking

Since the Wildflower Cafe opened its doors a year ago, we have often found ourselves stopping in for a lazy weekend breakfast. With its cozy, garden-inspired decor, and sides of baked beans and grilled cornbread like Grandma used to make, this tiny restaurant in the Hall's Corner section of Duxbury exudes homespun charm.

Last spring, Wildflower Cafe began serving dinner on Friday and Saturday evenings. On our recent visit, we were delighted to discover that the flip side to the restaurant's country breakfasts were sophisticated dinners worthy of the city.

On our helpful server's recommendation, we started with a cup of the pumpkin soup ($2.75 cup, $3.95 bowl), and were glad we took the advice. The not-quite-as-sweet-as-pumpkin-pie soup was creamy and perfect for a crisp autumn evening.

We also ordered an appetizer, the baked mushrooms with lobster and cheese stuffing ($7.95). The large mushroom caps were tender and the stuffing was nice and buttery, but we detected very little in the way of seafood flavor.

From there we moved on to a small Caesar salad ($3.95; large $5.95; with chicken, add $3), which was large enough for three adults to split. It had all the right ingredients, fresh and in the right proportions.

For our entrees, we ordered the lobster casserole ($21.95), duck in blackberry glaze ($14.95), and chinoises ($14.95). Although no meal failed to please, the lobster casserole stole the show. This dish contained lots of large chunks of fresh, delicate meat in a rich sherry cream sauce. It was topped with seasoned bread crumbs and melted cheese. My husband enjoyed it so much he only grudgingly shared a few bites.

The Asian-influenced chinoises (vegetarian, $11.95; chicken, $12.95; shrimp or scallops, $14.95) contained a tasty mix of stir-fried scallops, assorted tender-crisp vegetables, thin-sliced ginger, garlic, and low-sodium teriyaki sauce atop a mound of lo mein. This was a heaping, satisfying portion of fresh, tender scallops, broccoli, zucchini, and carrots, and firm noodles.

The sweet berry glaze nicely complemented the duck's rich flavor. It, like the lobster casserole, came with a side of mashed potatoes and butternut squash. Both accompaniments were done to perfection. The squash had just a touch of sweetness; the potatoes just the right buttery flavor.

Wildflower Cafe serves some nice down-home desserts. We'll be back soon.

KAREN HAYES

This story ran on page 11 of the Boston Globe's South Weekly section on 12/2/2001.
© Copyright 2001 Globe Newspaper Company.